Request ARisk-Free Test-Run

UPS Begins Initiative To Reduce Package Errors

On Monday, April 17, UPS announced it is installing electronic beacons in its delivery trucks as part of an initiative called Preload Smart Scan to notify workers if an item is placed in the wrong delivery vehicle. This project is only the first of dozens to be announced under UPS’s EDGE (Enhanced Dynamic Global Execution) program, which utilizes data and technology to further enhance their company’s operations within facilities and on delivery routes. The EDGE program came as a result of UPS’s search for solutions to various operational inconsistencies, with Preload Smart Scan addressing concerns of incorrectly loaded packages and re-routing of drivers.

The beacons aim to cut down incorrectly loaded package errors by as much as 70 percent. Before these beacons were created specifically for UPS’s delivery trucks, the generic beacons’ signals would penetrate neighboring trucks as they were being loaded, which lead to incorrectly read data. The new beacons “tighten” the signal, which is unique to certain vehicles and positions within it, to fit the space inside the delivery truck. Meanwhile, scanners are programmed to know where packages belong on the vehicle, read labels, and detect the signals being sent by the beacons. The scanner flags any errors and the worker is notified.

This year, 47 percent of UPS’s U.S. delivery trucks will have these beacons installed, as well as 301 U.S. facilities. UPS also plans on expanding to international facilities in the future. The implementation of this technology will save UPS and their customers time and money.

This progress is great, but mistakes are still going to happen. It’s best that you have the right freight auditing software from Intelligent Audit by your side to find and make sure you’re getting the money your company could be missing out on. Contact us now to find out how we can help.